


This Side of My Skin

by Introvertedintellect350



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Angst, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Fluff, Captain Swan AU - Freeform, Dark Emma, Dark Magic, Dark One Emma, Emma Has Issues, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kinda, Rumplestiltskin Elements, Things Go To Plan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 03:57:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8129561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Introvertedintellect350/pseuds/Introvertedintellect350
Summary: What if Emma had never turned Killian into another Dark One after death? What if it had all ended sooner, quicker, and easier? It has been tried and tested time and time again that True Love's kiss can break any curse, but for Emma Swan it seems not to be the case. Or is it?  Maybe it's simply finding the right moment in time, the right frame of mind, and the ability to let someone in. Set during the beginning of season 5, an alternate breaking of the darkness inside Emma, bringing Savior Emma back without turning Killian into another Dark One. Completely and unabashedly AU.





	

The black leather pants and long black jacket with a tall collar suited her, Emma thought smugly, giving her reflection a sly smirk as she admired herself in the full length mirror. She remembered how a mere two months ago she'd been lamenting how she was the Dark One, fighting the dark magic with every ounce of her self-control and kissing Killian in hopes of breaking the curse. But it wasn't true love, which saddened her blackening heart. She had hoped that even after she willingly went dark, that at least _Killian Jones_ of all people would accept the new and improved Emma Swan. 

Tilting her head now, lifting her eyes from her legs up to her silvery/gray tied back hair, she smiled a sincere, wicked smile. She looked _great_ and wasn't afraid to admit it. She wore much less makeup now, not concerned with the look of her eyes, much more the dramatic menace of her presence. She wanted everyone in this pitiful little town to fear her and to be punished for what they'd done to her. Except for Killian, he hadn't done anything. And besides, she still loved him just as much as she had proclaimed before taking the darkness from Regina and into herself, hoping to save everyone in the town and especially Regina. How she ever wanted to save the Evil Queen from this path was beyond her; being the Dark One had _so_ many perks. 

"You can come in you know," Emma said, turning her head to cast a glance at the doorway of her bedroom, still smiling as she saw Killian standing there with his clenched jaw and usual disappointed look on his handsome face. 

"Didn't want to step on your moment, love. You know, staring at yourself." At least his sense of humor hadn't disappeared with his smile. 

"But don't you agree I look better than I ever did with that red jacket and brown boots?" Emma asked, turning towards him and taking a few steps forward. "Black suits me, don't you think? It definitely suits you," She was by his side in a flash, running a finger along his jaw, her eyes latched onto his. 

She saw his jaw clench incrementally tighter, feeling him trying not to be swayed by her closeness. "While I agree that black looks ravishing on me, Dark One, I prefer the original look and the sincere smile." His mouth quirked up in a flash of a smirk, and his brooding blue eyes darting down to her dark red lips for only a moment before he stepped back and lifted his gaze to hers again.

Her smile drooped in a pouty fashion for a few moments, "Awe, now now Killian be nice. Would you prefer something like this?" Emma raised her hand from her legs up and in a puff of swirling gray smoke; she changed into a different outfit. Now she was clothed in a sheer dark brown blouse, layered underneath a black leather jacket similar to the mans’ standing in front of her, albeit shorter and with a more feminine curve; as well as dark jeans and her pre-Dark One favorite brown boots with a bit of a heel. The one thing she didn't change, however, was her hair. She didn't want to look too normal, now, and besides, her skin looked terrible with blonde hair anymore. So she kept her strict silvery/gray bun and minimal makeup save for her deep red lipstick. 

"Better?" She flourished a hand in the air and smiled, noticing the way he sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes traveled slowly down, then up her body in appreciation as if he was almost sure it was the old _Savior_ Emma he'd been used to seeing. But that wasn't her anymore and why he wouldn't accept that disappointed her more than anything else. Couldn't he see that she was better this way? Enjoying her ease of magic and ability to hear whenever someone summoned her? It was especially fun to pop up behind someone and watch them jump in fright at the sound of her voice as they whirled around to see her suddenly there. That wasn't to say she had no compassion or sympathy at all, it was simply pushed to the back of her mind and ignored. 

"Still not the Emma Swan I knew and know is still in there somewhere," Killian admitted, sounding surprisingly fragile. 

"But I _am_ the same Emma!" She insisted, "I'm standing right here and I still love you, Killian." 

"No, you're not the same Emma I knew before you became the Dark One. You chose this path to save Regina, you know." His voice hardened, his gaze snapping and crackling with tense emotion, "You've lost sight of that, Swan. And you know, I came here for a reason." 

Her smile faded and she stood with one hand on her hip, head cocked slightly to the side. "I know why you came here." 

"Pretty sure you don't, love." His lips pressed into a thin line for a few moments, his eyebrow arching appealingly as his eyes searched her face. 

"Oh yeah? Try this on for size," Emma challenged with no real threat in her voice. "You came to try - for the third time - to get the darkness out of me. You're going to take me somewhere, somewhere nice, and we're going to dance. Just like the ball in the Enchanted Forest all that time ago, my very first and with a partner who knows what he's doing."

He looked suitably impressed, a small smile coming to his expression as he tilted his head in a nod and stepped forward a few steps so they were once again nose-to-nose. "Close, but there will be more, Swan. This time I'm going to succeed in chasing the darkness away."

She tilted her head sideways, lifting her fingers and snapping them, finalizing her transformation back into looking her old self, deciding maybe it was best to look completely like she used to. If only to show him how powerful she was and that she truly, honestly, was still trying to be to be a good person even with the darkness rushing through her blood and pumping through her heart. Soft golden curls now surrounded her face, falling gently to her shoulders, and a quick glance in the mirror told her her face had lost its pale glow and returned to the warm, inviting expression. After a moment, she spoke softly, her voice scarcely a whisper, "Answer me this, Killian; do you miss her? The old me? The Savior?" Her eyes flicked back and forth between his gorgeous stormy blue ones which were fraught with indecision, distrust, and utter adoration. Even as much as she had changed, she still wanted him by her side. She still wanted him to trust her and believe in her and see for who she was _now_ , rather than only wishing for the old her. 

She heard him breathe in quickly, and, raising her fingers to his leather-clad chest, felt his heartbeat quicken too. He was so easily swayed by her voice and the thought began to bring a smile to her lips - until he answered her question. In three words he broke her heart. 

"All the time." 

He gazed, unblinking, down at her. He seemed nearly on the verge of stepping away, but she stopped him with a kiss. She gasped as her lips met Killian's, her fingers curling tightly into his jacket and for a split second forgetting she was the Dark One with powers enough to kill everyone in Storybrooke with a snap of her fingers. Her eyes fell closed as he kissed her back, passion and love pouring from his lips. The darkness in her heart and in her veins, seeping into her mind, seemed to begin to retreat, leaving her feeling lighter and breathless. It was dazzling, the purity of it all. But then, somewhere deep in her mind (or not so deep) she realized what was happening and pulled away with an almost-sneer taking shape on her features. The darkness reigned again and dark magic once again surged at her fingertips. It was too addicting, the power. In the corner of her eye she saw the hallucination of Rumpelstiltskin grin gleefully at her. _"I knew you couldn't leave all this power behind so soon."_ The voice only she could head spoke clear as day, sneering at her.

"No, I don't want to be rid of it just yet." Emma took a stumbling step back, wincing as she felt his fingers close around her arm to keep her from falling, then stood up straight and shook his hand off. 

"That's the darkness talking, Swan." Killian protested. "If you'd just let me / _help_ -" 

"You're not helping me, trying to get rid of who I am now. Why won't you listen to me, Killian? Why won't you accept that I am still me even as the Dark One?" 

"But Swan, it was work -" Killian began to protest again before she silenced him with a wave of her hand. He quivered and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. 

"Yes it was working. And that's what I'm scared of." Her voice cracked and she felt the burn of tears behind her eyes as they welled up, threatening to spill over. "I'm scared that if I let go of the darkness, I'll just be a hollow shell of who I was before. I won't be able to protect myself from those who want to kill me because of how I've hurt them. And I'm afraid -" the lump in her throat grew too large and she cut herself off, lowering her hand to allow Killian to speak again. 

"Afraid of what, love?" His tone held no anger over what had just transpired, even as he rubbed his throat.

"Nothing." In the few seconds it took him to speak, she had composed herself, tears still dripping over her bottom lashes but her voice no longer breaking and vulnerable. She wasn't going to admit that it was _him_ she was so afraid of losing. Dark Swan was back in full swing. "If you can't see me and accept me for whom I am now, then stop visiting. And stop trying to fix me because I'm not broken." Her voice was harsh. 

He took a few moments to reply, staring silently at her with his ever so familiar jaw clench. 

"No, I'm not giving up on you. I will _never_ give up on you." He paused, looking her up and down as he had done earlier, except slower this time. When his eyes met hers once again he whispered, "You're not broken, Swan, just bent, and it is my goal to bring back the Savior. Not just for me, but for yourself. Can you promise me one thing?"

Emma nodded tersely.

"Give this another chance. Meet me tonight at the Jolly Roger." He stepped forward, lifting her chin up with his hook, then running it down the blonde curls around her shoulders, his gaze stuck firmly on her lips. "Promise?"

After a moment, she nodded, leaning unconsciously into his comforting form. "Promise." 

Before either of them could say another word, Killian backed away and turned on his heel, walking out of her room and out of her house. The second the door closed, she turned to Rumpelstiltskin and glared at him. 

"What do you want, Rumple?" 

_"You can't seriously be considering actually_ going _to whatever he has planned for you, can you?"_ He sounded genuinely offended, perched on the edge of her bed like he owned her place as well as her mind. 

"I did just promise him that I was going." She defended, looking down at herself and her red leather jacket and jeans and _poof_ ing back into her Dark One outfit. 

_"Eh, promises, shromises, what's another heart to break?"_

She shook her head and closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds, "I am _not_ going to hurt him. This isn't his fight and if he wants another go at breaking this curse, well then he can have at it. I'm not stopping him." 

_"You're so naïve dearie. Can't you see you've already hurt him just by not letting him help you now? Admit it, Dark One, you like being dark."_ His smile was gruesomely happy, and his giggle even more so. 

"No, I don't." Her eyes flashed open and her head whipped up to look at the man now standing directly before her, between herself and the full length mirror.

 _"Yes, you do!"_ He giggled again, voice full of confidence. 

_"No. I. Don't!"_ Emma raised her hand, a ball of fire whooshing from her palm. She flung it as hard as she could towards Rumpelstiltskin, trying to convince herself it wasn't true. But it was. She was enjoying it way too much. The ball of fire went out in a plume of black smoke upon contact with the mirror as her hallucination disappeared with a fading manic giggle. 

_"Yes you do..."_

It was so much easier to give in and accept the darkness, rather than fight it. Accepting it was as easy as admiring her reflection in the mirror, fighting it was harder than fighting the voices in her head to stop telling her she was doing all of these bad things for her own twisted excuse of a reason. The darkness inside of her was so great, that the light of a little candle of hope didn't stand a chance. So instead of fight it any longer, Emma gave in and accepted it.

 _But only for a few hours_ , she told herself. _Only until it was time to meet Killian on his ship._

**\--•--**

The time had passed slower than she'd been hoping it to pass. But she was used to having lots of time on her hands. That was why she made dream-catchers; it gave her something to do in the hours of the night when she felt the darkness inside her more strongly than she felt the darkness of the night outside. Instead of creating dream-catchers in the hours before meeting Killian at the Jolly Roger, however, she decided to take her time and re-create her dress from Camelot on the night of the ball the very first night they got there. She didn't need her emotions to guide her magic anymore, but in this instance she let her emotions and memories of that night overtake her and help weave the dress from the shoulders down. It looked like a simple dress, but it was anything but. All white with long, tapering sleeves that were mostly lace were the most difficult, but also the most fun. The lace on the bodice was simple and beautiful and she felt a twinge of envy of who she used to be on her first day as the Dark One. She was so against it then, pushing it away and letting everyone help her keep it away. But now, Emma had decided, it was time to make a decision. Accept the darkness or get rid of it completely. Tonight would be the deciding factor, when she went along with whatever Killian had planned for them. The bit of light still in her yearned eagerly for the day she was no longer the Dark One, no longer hurting her friends and family; but the more powerful darkness urged her to keep being dark, keep being all-powerful and evil and able to use dark magic without remorse. 

She spent her time weaving with her memories of all of this, keeping her eyes closed until she felt she was finished some time later. When her eyes finally opened, she smiled broadly and let her arms hang by her sides once again. It was an exact replica of the dress at Camelot and immediately she waved her hand to put it on. Her sight was obscured by her signature light gray smoke and a few seconds later she was out of her normal Dark One outfit and into a dress fit for her former Savior self. She looked herself up and down in the mirror and tried for a natural smile. All that came out was a grimace. Then she recalled the way Killian's kiss had brought light flooding back into her body and mind, pushing the darkness away as easy as if it were a piece of trash. Was it really that simple? Just a kiss from her True Love and she wouldn't be the Dark One any longer? Just as soon as she began to delve deeper into the thoughts of being the Savior once again, her thoughts showed up in person again with a familiar hand flourish.

" _I see you're still pondering the idea of getting rid of all this power. Not an idea I advise."_

"You're not my adviser, you're a hallucination." Emma steadfastly denied, looking away. But he showed up in front of her yet again. 

_"But don't you see, dearie? The second the darkness is out of you, Regina and your dear boy, and even Captain Hook will not be on your side. They'll be against you. You've hurt them more than you realize."_

She closed her eyes, attempting to keep the thoughts out, but it was no use. 

_"You shouldn't even be thinking of going to this ridiculous_ date. _"_

_I'm going._ Her voice came out strong and contemptuous as she glared at Rumpelstiltskin. "You're my thoughts and I can stop them for good, especially if I listen to Killian." 

_"Ah, but what about all this power? Don't you enjoy the ability to see others' pasts, and everything you can do with it? You can't just throw that away,"_ The former Dark One hallucination continued, prodding.

The irrational part of her mind agreed completely. "...Alright, fine, I _do_ like the power. But... But it's not worth giving up my family for. Or my sanity." 

Rumple giggled again, grinning at her, _"Oh you've already lost much more than your sanity. Just give in. Accept that this is you. Not a silly little Savior who runs around trying to help everyone except herself. They didn't even appreciate it, you know. Take something for yourself for once!"_

She had to admit, it all sounded very enticing. She could - and admittedly had been - doing things that only benefited her and no one else, making excuses that she was helping someone else in some way even though she wasn't. She was being dark without even realizing it - that's how easy it was to slip into being the Dark One....she just had to accept it -

_No._

No, this wasn't her. Killian was right, all her talk about having accepted the darkness and it being who she was now, that was the Dark One side of her talking, not the real her. It was getting harder and harder to tell as the days and nights went on, who she really was anymore. The lines were becoming incredibly blurred. And maybe he was right, maybe this time he could bring the Savior Emma back. She just had to trust him and trust herself not to hurt him.

"Go away." She demanded, speaking to the voice inside her head, glaring at his image as it stood before her with a self-satisfied smirk dancing across his encrusted lips. "Now."

 _"I'll be back dearie, I do live in your very own, very complicated, dark mind."_ Then with a wave of his fingers, he was gone and Emma breathed a sigh of momentary relief, once again gazing at her reflection. She looked....normal. Exactly like she used to. The Emma that Killian loved. 

She was going, whether or not the voices in her head and the darkness tugging at her heart and soul wanted her to. 

She was going to get her light back. 

**\--•--**

"Killian?"

Emma blinked and she was at the docks in less than a second, looking around for her pirate. 

"Emma, lov -" He stepped down from the plank that was set between the docks and the _Jolly Roger_ and froze about ten feet away, staring. 

"Cat got your tongue?" She teased, grinning slightly. 

"What?" His expression flashed confusion for a few moments, then he stepped closer and spoke again. "You just, you look...." Once again he failed to finish his sentence, his expression now unreadable. 

"Like me?" She suggested quietly, something tugging in her gut when she realized the look on his face was recognition and joy. "Yeah, I know it's a little over the top. But hey, you're trying to help me, so I'll try to help you help me. Sound good?"

"Nothing has ever sounded better, Swan." Killian agreed, flashing a quick, small smile. "In fact, that's the most reasonable thing I've heard you say all day." 

"Don't get your hopes up. This might not work." She cautioned, trying to ignore the part of her that was screaming inside to stay away from the light and the possibility of losing her power. 

"Too late, love," He smiled for real this time, stepping closer yet and taking her hand with his. "It'll work."

"So what do you have planned tonight? Something grand, I'm sure." Emma followed as Killian stepped forward, leading them onto the deck of his ship. 

"Actually, we're starting out simple. Are you hungry?"

"You know I don't get -" 

"Indulge a man, Swan. At least sit with me," His eyebrow cocked upwards and his chin tilted down as he smiled again, and gestured to the nicely set table that had been prepared. She found herself feeling the same tugging in her gut that she'd felt earlier.

She smiled back and inclined her head slightly, "Of course I'll sit with you, Killian." Her chair was already pulled out, but as she sat down, Killian walked around behind her and helped her slide closer to the table. 

"Always a gentleman." He whispered, lips near her ear, causing a rush of goosebumps along her neck. 

"How could I forget?" She murmured back, the darkness rearing back at the pure adoration that she felt from him. Her soul was so conflicted, but her heart was not. When he sat down across from her at their private table, she fought the urge to both run away and let herself he consumed by darkness, and lean over and wrap herself in her boyfriends’ arms, letting the light overtake the dark, leaving herself free of the hatred and violence that came with being the Dark One. 

"Swan?" She was tugged out of her thoughts when Killian said her name and blinked blankly at him. "You seem lost in thought. Care to share?"

Immediately her defenses went up. "Nothing of concern right now." She demurred smoothly, although she could tell that he didn't believe her. "What's more important, is what you have planned after this lovely dinner." 

"That's not what's more important," He replied, not letting the subject slide. He leaned forward with an elbow on the table, fingers resting at his temple and chin. "I'm doing this for you, Swan. I promised you, just as your parents did, to get the darkness out of you no matter how long it took. And I'm not going to stop trying. That look I saw on your face just a moment ago, you were conflicted. Why?" 

Emma let out a long sigh and leaned forward as well, looking directly into his captivating gaze. She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated. Was it right to tell him that the dark part of her was considering leaving and never coming back? Would he trust her after she confessed such a thing? How could she be trusted anyway? With her personality swinging dramatically between crying out for help to be rid of the Dark One part of herself, and wanting to have nothing to do with the light and to accept the darkness and give into the urge destroy everyone in this tiny town; she didn't even trust herself. 

"You can tell me, you know. I'm not going to run away." He gently prompted when she still didn't speak. 

“But I’m scared _I’m_ going to run away.” She finally confessed, looking down at the table and the covered plate that sat before her. “I don’t have control of myself – control of the darkness inside me and you-know-who appearing before me, speaking my thoughts that only I can hear and talk to and no one else can. I looked conflicted because I am. I am _constantly_ at war with myself, Killian; and the darkness is starting to win.” When she looked up from the plate, she was surprised to feel tears slipping over her bottom lashes and onto her cheeks. She abruptly wiped them away, angry at herself for getting so emotional. _He doesn’t care about you. _Her insidious thoughts snaked into her mind. She shook them off and flinched when she felt his hand reach over to take hers. “I can’t even trust myself, so how can you?” Emma whispered, her voice beginning to tremble as her emotions rose.__

__“Because I have hope, love,” He replied, giving her hand a squeeze. “Hope that we can be rid of the Dark One Emma and bring back Savior Emma, the one who trusts me and trusts her family to help her and not hurt her. The Emma that I knew and love. The darkness hasn’t touched your heart yet, and even if it has, I have hope that I can change that. You’re a survivor, Swan; I know you can fight the darkness and get rid of this once and for all.”_ _

__“I hope you can too.” She attempted a smile, and the small one he gave her back lifted her spirits slightly. He could help her. She had to trust that he could. They sat in silence for a few more moments before Killian finally spoke again._ _

__“Are you willing to eat with me? I got your favorite from Granny’s.” He pulled his hand out of hers and lifted the cover off of her plate, using his hook to lift his own at the same time. “Grilled cheese and onion rings.”_ _

__The sight and the knowing grin on his face made her laugh. “We sit down to have what I assume is a nice dinner, and you bring us this.”_ _

__“Does this not qualify as nice? I know you too well, Swan, to not know that this is exactly what you were hoping for, even though you don’t require nourishment to survive.”_ _

__He was right and she shook her head as she laughed, “Couldn’t be more correct.” He really did know her too well. She would always enjoy grilled cheese and onion rings. Looking down at her plate now, she picked up an onion ring and took a bite. It only took a moment for the delicious taste of the fried vegetable to fade from her mouth, tasting like ash nearly the moment it hit her tongue, but she savored the taste even so. It had been too long since she’d eaten anything and wasn’t about to pass up the food simply because she didn’t get much of a taste. “Granny’s always makes the best onion rings.” She commented, snagging another one and popping it into her mouth._ _

__“Aye, they do,” Killian took a bite of his own onion rings, then a bite of the grilled cheese. They were silent for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company and the delicious food. At the moment, they might have been any ordinary couple enjoying a nice evening on their ship. Emma took a moment to savor the fact before her thoughts personified as Rumpelstiltskin could butt in, looking over the table at the man who refused to give up on her._ _

__After they finished eating, Killian stood and beckoned for her to follow. She obliged, taking his proffered arm loosely and giving him a smile. Her stomach was comfortably full, more so than it had been in a very long time._ _

__"Where are we going?"_ _

__"You'll see," He replied cryptically, looking over and brushing his lips against her cheek. "It's not far."_ _

__"If you tell me where we're going I can get us there-" she began, but then cut herself off when he looked at her sternly._ _

__"You can't use Dark magic, it'll hurry up the infection of darkness. And we don't want that, love."_ _

__"Right, we don't want that."_ _

__They continued walking down the streets, heading further to the outskirts of town. She knew exactly where they were headed the moment he lead her down a dirt road towards Gold and Belle's mansion. It was full dark now as they continued up the driveway, and she could see pools of warm light spilling out the windows of the house. She leaned in and spoke softly, "So Gold is in on this too?"_ _

__A smirk graced his features and Killian looked over at her, "Aye. And Regina, Henry, your parents, Mother Superior, and Belle. Like I said, love, we're on your side and want the darkness gone more than you could imagine."_ _

__"Oh, I can imagine alright," She whispered to herself, but smiled, feeling loved and almost hopeful for herself. The moment she stepped in the door and into the ballroom, she was astounded at how beautiful it looked. Everything was bathed in a soft yellow light, the floors gleaming and beautiful music streamed from somewhere. Emma couldn't believe her eyes - they'd done this all for _her_? _ _

__She turned to look at Killian, who stepped away from her and towards the center of the room, then turned and held his hand out for her. His gaze was intense as it met hers, and his expression filled with love._ _

__"Dance with me, love, and pretend the world doesn't exist." He whispered, voice husky._ _

__After that there was no going back._ _

__"I wouldn't want anything else."_ _

__This was the single, defining moment in which she chose to fight against the darkness, and in that moment she felt like she was leaping off the edge of a cliff towards something better. Something lighter. Towards a future with her true love, one which she was utterly terrified of, but wanted nothing else in the world. So she took his hand and let him lead her onto the floor, trying to hide a smile. Strangely, there were no insidious thoughts dragging her away deeper into the darkness._ _

__Killian rested his hook on her waist and his right hand in hers, gently pulling her closer until he whispered in her ear, "There is only one rule to this dance. Do you remember it, Swan?"_ _

__She leaned into him, her lips brushing his ear, "Pick a partner who knows what he's doing,"_ _

__"Aye, you do remember," He pulled back just far enough to look at her, a smile on his face._ _

__"Of course I do," Emma replied, feeling a laugh bubble up from deep inside her chest. "It was our first ball together, and my first ball ever."_ _

__"You're a natural, you know," He said as he pulled away, twirling her before pulling her close again while they stepped to the rhythm of the music, dancing just as they had that first night in Camelot; easily and happily but with a sense of great importance._ _

__She didn't reply and only leaned closer to rest her head on his shoulder when they stopped moving and instead swayed, standing in the same spot in the middle of the floor. She closed her eyes and relaxed into him, his left arm around her waist holding her close, and his right hand tangled in hers. The way they fit together and swayed together and were just completely comfortable in each other's company only solidified her tentative resolve to no longer be the Dark One and go back to being the sheriff of Storybrooke and Savior Emma. She only had to be completely ready to let the darkness go._ _

__"Hey Killian?" She whispered without lifting her head, taking a steadying breath which she was sure he felt against his chest._ _

__"Yes, love?" Killian's chin shifted against her cheek, the stubble lightly scratching her skin._ _

__"Kiss me." Now Emma lifted her head and stood nose to nose with Killian Jones, fully prepared to light up her soul once again. To banish all traces of the Dark One from her mind, her blood, and her soul. She could feel the light and the dark battling inside her, her heartbeat quickening because of it. That and the fact that the man before her was staring at her like she was about to save the world. Who knew? Maybe she was. She was certainly about to save her own world; from herself._ _

__Killian continued to simply stare at her as if she was asking him to kill her. What was so hard about a kiss? Why now, of all times, was he hesitating? Then she realized what he was waiting for. He was making absolutely sure that she was ready. That she was ready for the dark power to be gone, for her happiness to come back, and most of all, to finally agree to a future with him._ _

___/God/_ yes she was ready for that. More than anything. She wanted her family back. All of a sudden something cracked and her emotions poured out in tears as she once again breathed the words, "Kiss me," _ _

__And then amidst the music and the lights and the moment, he brought his mouth to hers like they were two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly. And this time when she felt that darkness reel back and the light begin to soar into her veins once again, she didn't stop it. What took less than ten seconds felt like an eternity._ _

__All the dark writhing inside her struggled to regain power from the light now taking over. The voices inside her head screamed and begged for her to stop before disappearing one by one. The hold it had on her thoughts and muscles and heart vanished in a blinding white light that came from somewhere deep, deep inside her; spreading out in a circle around herself and Killian and along with it a force that knocked her off her feet._ _

__Emma felt her legs collapse underneath her and her lips parted from his as she fell to the floor with a sob of overwhelming and complete peace. The darkness was gone. Dark Swan was no longer and all she could do was curl up in Killian's arms as he fell next to her and held her tightly as she sobbed out her emotions. A few seconds later she felt another pair of arms around her, and then another, and another. Looking up from his chest in confusion, she saw Henry, and her mother and father on the floor around her, hugging her. Mary Margaret was crying and Killian was looking as if he was on the verge of tears as well._ _

__She met his eyes now, tears still dripping from her eyes and off her chin, and with a hiccuping breath she spoke. "Thank you for saving me."_ _

__"You know that I'd go to the ends of the world, or time for you, Emma. But it wasn't just me. It was your family too, and you." A smile split his handsome face as he looked from her to the people surrounding her. Her gaze followed his and she finally released him to hug the rest of her family. She was back. The real, Savior and non-Dark One Emma was back and she was never leaving. In fact, the darkness would never infect anyone else ever again. With True Love's kiss it was obliterated forever._ _

__"So," Emma whispered and looked back at Killian with a knowing smile, "How about that future?"_ _

__He smiled back at her and kissed her deeply in lieu of reply. Things would be better now, she was sure of it with him and her family and friends by her side.__

 _ _Terrible things would continue to happen, but she knew now without a shadow of a doubt that they could _always_ be defeated.__

**Author's Note:**

> I'm pretty sure this is the longest one-shot I've written to date and am particularly happy with it. I'd LOVE feedback on what all you guys think! How did I do with keeping Dark Swan in character? What about Killian?
> 
> Of course, don't feel like you have to comment, this is just a suggestion from a writer who wants to know what her readers think. Thank you a million for those who do!


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